Machinery maker Hiwin Technologies Co (上銀科技) yesterday reported net profit in the third quarter surged 230 percent to NT$446 million (US$14.36 million) from three months earlier, thanks to the contribution of foreign exchange gains.
The company — which supplies linear guideways, ball screws, bearings and industrial robots — booked NT$218 million in foreign exchange gains, reversing losses of NT$490 million in the second quarter, it said in an earnings report.
On an annual basis, net profit fell 33 percent, and earnings per share fell to NT$1.26 from NT$1.88, it said.
Photo: CNA
Revenue last quarter was the highest in three quarters at NT$5.995 billion, with linear guideways accounting for 63 percent, followed by ball screws at 20 percent, robots at 7 percent, and bearings and other items at 9 percent.
In the first three quarters, net profit decreased 35.2 percent year-on-year to NT$1.06 billion, and earnings per share declined to NT$3.01 from NT$4.64, while total revenue fell 1.4 percent to NT$17.76 billion, it added.
At an earnings conference in Taipei, Hiwin chairman Chuo Wen-heng (卓文恒) said the company expects increasing orders for semiconductor-related machinery equipment next year, as the semiconductor industry is still in its upcycle, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) reported.
Hiwin has been accelerating shipments of subsystem products, such as wafer robots, equipment front end module systems and robotic arms, to offset the impact of general demand weakness in the machinery industry.
The company expects robot revenue to account for 9 to 10 percent for the whole year and above 10 percent next year, Chuo said, adding that is because Hiwin targets to start shipments of logistics-specific robotic arms in small batches next year.
Humanoid robot components such as planetary roller screws are also expected to be launched next year, he added.
Chuo said he is optimistic that specialized artificial intelligence robots for logistics and agriculture segments would see stable development in the next two to three years.
Due to the impact of the US’ “retaliatory” tariffs, the business outlook would not become clearer until after March next year, he said.
While customers continue to place orders with Hiwin, they no longer place orders for as long as six months or a year at once as they used to, but only place orders when there is need, he said, adding that the company’s order visibility is about two and a half months or less.
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